gCaptain: Supporting the “Misuse” of Social Media Since 2007

While at the CMA conference in Connecticut this spring, I had the opportunity to speak alongside my media industry peers as well as crisis communications firm, MTI Network.

Considering gCaptain’s mission is to report the news and MTI Network’s mission is to keep their clients out of the news as much as possible, the points we discussed were really quite different.

Videotel, InterManager, MTI Network and the Hill Dickinson law firm have teamed up recently to create a new program called “Social Media at Sea” to address “the unique dangers of inappropriate use of social media by shipboard personnel.”

The objective of the program, according to Videotel’s CEO Nigel Cleave, “is to make [seafarers] aware of the pitfalls associated with the publishing of text, pictures and video clips and to provide the tools to ensure accurate, respectful and responsible posting, in line with any social media policy in place.”

Although the folks who are putting this new program are all good people with honorable intentions, we would prefer that you completely ignore them and instead, take note of our top eight tips on using social media:

Here they are:

Ensure you have a Facebook and Twitter account.

Be truthful and accurate when posting to social media.

Do not be degrading to individuals or organizations as it lessens the impact of what you are trying to communicate.

Your company’s reputation has very little to do with the photo or video you post to social media, unless it reflects an egregious error or negligence of some sort. In that case, you’re doing the industry a favor by helping to ensure transparency and accountability.